Chapter 53: Scallop and Squab Soup

Granny Zhao was seething with pent-up anger, having offered sincere advice that fell on deaf ears—Shen Shi had refused to listen to her well-intentioned words.

Zhi Qing pulled her into the Small Tea Room, hoping a cup of clear tea might soothe her temper, only to stumble upon Xiang Hui causing trouble.

As the saying goes, the diligent aren’t beaten, the lazy aren’t beaten—only the clueless get a beating.

Xiang Hui’s usual mischief was one thing, but she had to pick the worst possible moment to cross Granny Zhao.

Though Granny Zhao was typically kind-hearted, she couldn’t hold back now. She grabbed Xiang Hui by the hair, yanked her by the ear, and dragged her under the corridor. Pulling out a silver hairpin, she jabbed it toward Xiang Hui’s mouth.

“You insolent little hussy! Who gave you the right to act so high and mighty, treating things like this? How dare you throw the master’s belongings on the ground? Who raised you to be so brazen?”

Xiang Hui, assuming Granny Zhao’s usual gentleness meant a few pleas would settle the matter, hurriedly defended herself: “The young mistress didn’t want to eat this. When Xiang Cao was in charge of the Small Tea Room, we all shared the fruits and pastries. Even when Granny He and Sister Zhi Lan were managing things, they didn’t mind if we ate in front of them. Everyone else is lenient—why are you, old lady, so harsh? Do you want to keep it all for yourself?”

Afraid others might overhear, Zhi Qing quickly interjected, “Stop talking nonsense!”

Granny Zhao’s eyes blazed with fury. She slapped Xiang Hui twice, hard enough to knock out a tooth.

“Granny He managed things so well that she just had both legs broken and is now eating dirt on the estate! Why don’t you go join her?”

Xiang Hui, her face stinging from the blows, sat on the ground wailing with her mouth agape.

“Why are you taking your anger out on me, Granny? If I’m no longer fit for duty, just send me back to the Shen family! Didn’t you, Granny, scheme to send Sister Zhi Lan and Sister Xiang Cao back to the Shen family? Dowry maids serve their masters, not you, old lady! If you can’t stand the sight of me, don’t hit me—just send me back. That’d be a relief for everyone!”

Hearing her mention Zhi Lan and Xiang Cao, and even bringing up returning to the Shen family, Granny Zhao spat with all her might.

“Consider yourself lucky to get a beating! Zhi Lan was sold by a trafficker into a brothel—who knows how many clients she’s had to serve! Even that little wench Xiang Cao stands by the half-door every day, beaten and forced to smile for customers! If you’re so eager to join them, let’s see how skilled you are, you little hussy—how many men can you take in one night!”

Xiang Hui, still young, didn’t fully understand these words and just stared blankly upward.

But Zhi Qing panicked, tugging at Granny Zhao’s sleeve and urgently asking, “Were Zhi Lan and Xiang Cao really sold to such a place? Wasn’t Madam just speaking in anger?”

At this, Granny Zhao’s eyes reddened involuntarily.

“How old are you? You don’t know our Madam—when she says something, she means it! The moment the trafficker took Zhi Lan and Xiang Cao away, Madam insisted, no matter the price, they were to be sold into a brothel. If they were sold to anyone else and Madam found out later, she’d turn on the trafficker! I heard the news this morning—the two of them were sold for eighteen taels of silver in total, both sent to the brothel!”

Zhi Qing lowered her head and said nothing, letting Granny Zhao beat Xiang Hui a few more times with all her might.

Xiang Hui, now terrified, turned deathly pale and didn’t dare even to cry.

Pear Moon, standing nearby, suddenly felt a pang of desolation.

She had been sold into Ningguo Mansion at the age of six and had often heard her godmother, Madam Liu, speak of such things with others.

She counted herself lucky that she and the other young maids had been sold into the mansion by a legitimate agency.

If they had fallen into the hands of unscrupulous traffickers and been sold to brothels, survival would have been nearly impossible.

In this mansion, the servants often cursed others as “hussies” or “courtesans,” but she had never heard of anyone actually being sold into a brothel.

After all, Ningguo Mansion treated its servants with leniency, unlike the Shen family’s heartless cruelty.

For Pear Moon, it all came down to luck—how could she not feel a chill in her heart?

After a while, Zhi Qing took the Rose Dew and left.

Xiang Hui was about to leave when Pear Moon called her back coldly—she was no longer someone anyone could bully.

“With broken porcelain shards all over the floor, you’ll clean it up before you go!”

With Granny Zhao present, there was no way out. Fuming, Xiang Hui picked up a broom to sweep the floor while Pear Moon recorded the accounts with a charcoal pen.

“Damaged one blue-and-white porcelain jar and half a jar of plum preserves. The broken porcelain will be handed over to the storehouse matron to offset the count—I don’t care how much is deducted. The plum preserves were bought from the southern goods shop—half a jin wasted amounts to three qian of silver. How will Sister Xiang Hui compensate?”

Granny Zhao ordered the loss to be deducted from her monthly allowance. Xiang Hui gritted her teeth, not daring to utter a word.

Just as everyone was about to disperse, Granny Zhao noticed Granny Fan carrying a pigeon and asked, “What are you doing here?”

Granny Fan was already frantic, as if fire had reached the roof. She hurriedly replied, “I told Xiao Yue to stew pigeon soup!”

Granny Fan’s cooking was poor—Granny Zhao knew this well and kept silent.

Pear Moon bowed slightly to them with a smile. “Granny Fan is the head cook. Wouldn’t it be a joke to have me stew the soup? Besides, the small tea room can’t be used for cooking meat dishes—it would make the tea greasy, and I couldn’t bear the responsibility.”

Granny Fan was clumsy with words, so Granny Zhao spoke up for her. “Wasn’t the chicken wingtip soup last time made by you? Since you know how, what’s the harm in making one more bowl? The mistress is waiting in her room to eat!”

These accompanying stewards all shared the same mindset: as long as they could muddle through for Shen Shi and get the job done, that was enough.

Pear Moon knew that if she helped Granny Fan stew the soup today, such requests would inevitably keep coming.

If the soups and dishes turned out well, they would take no credit nor blame. But once something went wrong, they would start looking for someone to take the fall.

This kind of thankless task—no matter how diligent she was, she couldn’t afford to be the scapegoat.

“Phoenix Ripple Courtyard has its rules. The kitchen has its allocated duties, and the tea room has its own. I’m not afraid of stewing it once—what I fear is that from now on, it becomes a regular practice. Granny Zhao and Granny Fan may not mind, but I’ve just been promoted to third-rank maid. How dare I make even the slightest mistake?”

Granny Fan was quick-minded but slow-tongued. She rushed forward anxiously. “Don’t worry, Miss Xiao Yue. I won’t let you do it for nothing, not even once. If you go to the kitchen courtyard to do it, use whatever you need. If you do it in the small tea room, I’ll bring firewood, charcoal, and seasonings to add. Here’s also two hundred coins as a thank-you gift—I absolutely won’t let you suffer a loss.”

Her offer of two hundred coins nearly matched half a month’s allowance for a third-rank maid.

Stewing pigeon soup wasn’t a big deal—even if she had to do it every day from now on, Pear Moon would gladly welcome it.

Seeing Granny Fan being so generous, she couldn’t help but form an idea.

If she could get Granny Fan to hand over the tasks of stewing soups and porridges, she could have an extra stove to use.

The small tea room used a tea stove, which was fine for boiling water, brewing tea, or steaming pastries, but unsuitable for cooking meat dishes.

If she could secure a small stove in the kitchen courtyard, along with additional allocations for ingredients, firewood, and charcoal, it would be much more convenient for her to practice in the future.

Of course, asking directly wouldn’t work—Pear Moon needed Granny Fan to willingly give it.

“Granny Fan, that’s not how it should be said. I’m young and might occasionally make something edible, but I dare not claim I can do it every time. Granny Zhao promoted you to head cook—whether you do well or not, everyone bears some responsibility. But I’m just a child who doesn’t know better. If I do poorly and get punished, who will take responsibility for me? Granny Fan, though this reward is generous, it feels too hot to hold—I dare not accept it.”

Pear Moon spoke with such earnestness that she practically made Granny Fan jump in frustration.

Listening beside them, Granny Zhao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: Look at this little girl, only twelve or thirteen years old. Her neat appearance is one thing, but it’s this little mouth of hers—the words she speaks leave no room for rebuttal. A maid from Ningguo Mansion is countless times better than the good-for-nothings from our Shen family!

The hours dragged on longer and longer, and Granny Fan grew increasingly anxious. Having exhausted all other options, she finally stamped her foot in frustration.

“I’ll be honest with you in front of Granny Zhao. My skills are rough—I can manage stir-fries and stewed meats well enough, but I have no idea how to make the Five Delicacies Broth. From now on, I’ll leave both the Refined Soup and Refined Congee entirely to you, Miss Xiao Yue. I’ll set aside some poultry, fish, fresh ingredients, and firewood for you in advance. There are two stoves in the small stove room on the east side, which I’ll allocate for your use. I’ll also deduct five qian of silver from my monthly allowance to supplement you. What do you think, miss?”

Pear Moon had only wanted the stoves, ingredients, and firewood. She hadn’t expected Granny Fan to be so sincere, even offering an extra five qian of silver each month.

“Granny Fan, you’re too considerate—giving me so much extra silver? I’m inclined to refuse, but I wouldn’t want to offend you. Out of respect for Granny Zhao, I suppose I’ll accept it. But five qian is too much—I’ll only take three.”

Seeing how readily she agreed, Granny Fan felt a weight lift from her heart.

“I said five qian, so five qian it is! Now hurry and come with me to make the broth!”

With one hand clutching two pigeons and the other pulling Pear Moon along, she rushed anxiously toward the kitchen courtyard.